Rinne
by Vectortriple
Summary: Dying at a young age isn't something people expect. Being reincarnated with memories, even less so. Finding oneself in a fictional world, words stop there. And for me… Dying seven times, each life a metaphorical nail in the proverbial coffin to the reality of this world? Even the most sane of individuals would desire solace afterwards. OC-Insert, Reincarnation.


**Hello all! This fic is sort-of meant to get the ball rolling on the idea I kinda came up with. I have yet to decide if I'm going to continue this, to be honest—I have about a third of the story written out in notes, and according to that much Rinne is not really a Mary Sue (21 points and "Low-to-moderate chance your character is a Mary Sue.") but this is still pretty cliche. If any of you guys want to take the idea (multiple reincarnations + OC/SI-insert to blatantly make the character powerful and/or knowledgeable to ridiculous levels that probably should make this crack) then please, do.**

 **That being said, because it's a common question in almost any fanfic (especially SI/OC ones) I will answer the obligatory "pairing" question: I don't even know if I will continue this, because this is just to get the idea out there in the hopes that someone better at writing than myself might decide to take the idea and expand upon it with less Mary-Sue aspects. I also have very little passion for romance—the likelihood of there being any, aside from sparsely mentioned interactions or hints, is slim. I also don't see her with any of the canon characters in all honesty-if she were to be paired off, it would likely be with another OC. Just be warned.**

 **Cover and Beta'd/Co-written by AthanatosOra. Conceptualized by AthanatosOra 3-20-15 (she didn't want to write it and I wanted to, so... This happened.)**

 **I don't own Naruto or any of the characters associated with it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

"Mizuno Rinne."

The name was spoken with utmost difficulty, rolling off of her tongue like sandpaper. Unfamiliar, without meaning—it was merely a _label_ —for even though she no longer _was_ , she still, deep down, _identified_ as Hino Kotori. But like last time, and with all her previous others, she would eventually grow into it.

To say she hadn't expected this predicament was too bland a statement to represent what she truly felt. Truth be told, she didn't actually know what she felt.

Void, emptiness, were perhaps accurate words to describe it. It was always like this, always this forcefully made blank page, a cleaned slate. Even if she didn't want it.

But it was necessary, especially with what her eyes were riveted to, the gaudy, eye-catching stone structure situated proudly near the sky's horizon.

She hadn't accounted for this. Each time it happened, she ended up someplace new—never before had this consecutive landing occurred, and she had yet to determine if it was a positive result or negative. She was fairly certain she wouldn't be able to determine it's standing until she regained her—or _a_ —sense of feeling.

And yet, looking upon the familiar structures of a village that was, in her most recently ended life, her home, and seeing that the proud monument had four—not three, but _four_ —heads she was fairly certain that she would prefer the numbness that encased her like a protective shield, a cloak, akin to the warm envelopment of an embrace.

Because even though she was now "Mizuno Rinne," she knew that, like usual, her previous shell would have none of it.

* * *

The first time she "awakens," she is physically eight. And noticeably, male.

At first she feels numbness, as though she were a newborn babe with nothing but breathing and sleep on the mind. And then her memories return—she was female, she lived a rather average if not oppressive life, she was _fourteen_ —and she panics, wondering what had happened, why she is suddenly male and wearing some _very_ outdated Japanese clothes because, even though she loves her culture, she was never _that_ into it and hadn't gone beyond watching a few shows and learning the language.

She eventually realizes that, wherever she is, it is not _home_ , to which she may very well never be returning—the last thing she recalls is _anger_ , at her parents, at her _oh-so-perfect_ brother, at her advanced but _not good enough_ standing in society, and running. Running, reckless abandon, _freedom_. And then falling. Tripping, falling, _pain_ , and she finds herself a broken mess at the bottom of some misplaced stone stairs.

She has always entertained the idea of reincarnation, as it is one of her escapes. She has little doubt that she had died, despite how humiliating and rudimentary a death it was, and that she has somehow been reincarnated.

One event leads to another, and a week later she _realizes_. It comes to her when she sees oddly dressed individuals jumping from roof to roof, sporting god-awful dark garments that look akin to high-collared smocks, and she is in the middle of rolling her eyes at the "fashion" of whatever time period she is in—forget the _jumping from roof to roof_ part, she has seen that enough to think that they are all merely over-zealous otaku-freaks of their culture—when she sees it.

A red and white uchiwa symbol, embroidered on the backs of their clothes.

She actually does scoff, at that point, until she watches one of the otaku-freaks weave through a flurry of hand-seals in a blur and call out with startling power.

Something she has realized in her past week of living here is that she is an orphan. It is a comfort that she takes solace in, as she has always been a bit of an independent, and the unequivocal freedom that her newest situation brings her opposes her old like the cold, dank cell of prison in winter to a lush, open field of sun-kissed grass in the summer. She has not yet grown roots, as she is simply a wandering orphan within her small town, but this place still holds some semblance of "home" to her.

Her "home" bursts into flames.

She goes wide-eyed, her body reacting to _run away_ as her mind replays the vision over and over in her mind, as she hears the shouts and screams behind her as the uchiwa-bearing figures raze her temporary home to the ground.

But that isn't what she cares about at the moment, no, what catches her interest is the startling realization that her not-quite-genius and childishly hopeful mind arrives to.

She is in the world of Naruto.

Of course, she is still skeptical, as this could somehow all be a ploy—though, with one discreet look down at her brand new flaccid _male_ appendage she supposes it isn't _too_ far off of a conjecture in comparison—or worse, a figment of her imagination in her possibly comatose mind.

Whatever is the case, a startling sense of mischievousness takes hold of her as she plans. Whether or not this is real, whether or not this truly _is_ the Narutoverse, she will have fun.

One year later, she has since realized that she is in the Warring States period, and fancies herself a well-trained Shinobi. She has learned to control her chakra to a certain extent, she is _strong_ , she believes, and has mastered the henge and kawarimi jutsu.

She decides on a whim that she will utterly destroy the story of Naruto, and searches for the Uchiha Compound.

It is easy enough, with their ostentatious, gaudy gates and over all sense of pride permeating the stone walls. She sneaks in, believing her henge to be adequate, and makes her way around to find one Uchiha Madara.

He, instead, finds her.

She attacks. She has a malicious grin, unbefitting a physically 9-year-old child, and predictably, is immediately subdued.

"Who are you?" The man/boy asks, as he couldn't be any older than seventeen. She wonders if he was clan head yet?

She spits in his face, grin never leaving. "None of your business."

She was book-smart. Coming from _that_ environment, she had more than enough hatred and self-loathing, but she was _not_ street smart and had never experienced the true horrors that could befall people in her own world—and that day, she comes to know the horrors of _this_ world, far more personally than she would have ever liked.

They torture her. Likely believing her to be a Shinobi from an enemy clan, they continuously ask questions such as, "what clan are you from?" and "what is your goal, here?" She never answers, as she is too busy sobbing, crying from the pain, realizing that she will _never_ be able to write or play music or do _so many things ever again_ because they took her arms, they _sawed them off_ and tossed the detached limbs to the side, cauterizing the gaping wounds shut with controlled flames.

Eventually, everything stops, and she realizes that they know her to be no threat. She looks up at them, tear-stained face, bloodied lip, gap-tooth and all, and freezes as she sees their looks of contempt.

"Useless," they say, "nothing more than an ignorant, foolish child." She cannot refute their statements, for they are true, and she has no tongue.

They throw her out.

And she dies, feeling as though she is roasting in flames.

* * *

The second time she "awakens," she is Shimizu Shizuka, aged ten. And she is confused as to why she is still alive.

She is horrified to find herself in Kiri, where the Academy graduations were reputed to be horrible in the Naruto world—but realizes that those were yet to come, for it is the Shodai Mizukage reigning.

Still, the concept of Shinobi life no longer appeals to her, for she realizes soon after she regains her memories that she has a _family_. And the most peculiar part is that they love her, unconditionally.

They are a family of traders, based in Kirigakure for safety and protection. Her life is pleasant, and she eventually becomes accustomed to the Shinobi who often stop by asking for packages, scoping their wares, and bartering. She even becomes a rather adept trader herself; haggling for lower prices when she is the consumer and negotiating higher (but still reasonable, for she and her family have their pride) prices with her customers. The immensely proud, loving smiles of her parents that result from her efforts encompass her world.

It is when she is aged twelve that she realizes this humble life was not meant to last, for her parents are sent to the west to initiate a new trade route between Kiri and the villages across the expanse of water. She protests, feeling an odd sense of foreboding—pleading that they either reject or bring her with them—but they, the caring Shimizu couple, only smile down at her, pat her head, and depart.

A week later, she receives news that they and the Shinobi team sent to escort them had been killed.

That is when she decides. She is still frightfully averse to the concept of becoming a Shinobi, of once again attempting to enter that ill-favored life, but knows that she needs to. So, she enters the Academy.

She is made fun of, for everyone in her age group are Genin or Chūnin already. She pays them no mind and proves them wrong, graduating a year later at the age of thirteen.

She trains. It is all that she truly knows, now, without her family, and it is a bitter reminder of how she had once only had her studies. Now truly is no different from before, and the thought only irks her, and to her disdain, makes her lonely. Her life (lives?) have truly come full circle.

She dies a lonely death when her teammates abandon her on a mission gone awry, and yet… Their betrayal sparks nothing in her. Instead, she is focused on the enemy wearing her mother's face (the mother of her current body; she wouldn't have hesitated to retaliate if she had seen the visage of her original parents) glaring down at her as a kunai is plunged into her gut.

She reviews the small accomplishments she has made in her life and sighs, realizing that no matter how hard she works, it would never be enough.

She passes in the cold snow, blood dripping down her face like red tears.

* * *

The third time she "awakens," she is Shirai, aged thirteen. And she is _pissed_ that she is still alive.

She ponders, none too peacefully, why she is alive again and in yet another body. She has no family to stop her rampage and is instead stopped by armored Shinobi, and she spots their hitai-ate. She realizes she is in Kumo, and is a Chūnin-ranked Shinobi.

From there, she realizes that, unlike her previous two lives, she has to consider how "Shirai" acts—she apparently has friends, and is notoriously headstrong and foolish. It explains her temper tantrum, she thinks—for she does not wish to admit that it may have been truly _her_ that had so foolishly acted out. But then, this _is_ her, isn't it?

The thought spurs on all of five minutes of introspection before she realizes that her current self is far too filled to the brim with chakra to settle down, and she foregoes the meditation she likely needs.

She knows Raiton. Not too much, certainly, but she knows to work on that. She hopes to learn at least as much as she had learned as Shizuka and her Suiton, but in terms of Raiton. So she trains. She relearns how to use the Suiton ninjutsu techniques she had learned previously, as well as learns new Raiton techniques to add to her repertoire.

She is fifteen when she is sent on an A-Rank mission in a four-man cell, with a tracker, a medic, and a Taijutsu specialist. She realizes that she is the Ninjutsu specialist and secretly preens, wondering how she could have ever thought to forego this life.

Unwillingly, she becomes acquainted with the healer. She is, at first, unreceptive to his attempts at friendship—medic-nin are _useless_ in battle, and though they save lives, there is little they can do against a true _opponent_ —but he is wise, patient, kind, and she eventually thinks she may love him. She is certain it is not romantic, but it is a love nonetheless—he is the older brother she would've wanted, not the cold, oppressive, demeaning one she once had.

At some point, however, he tells her he loves her. She thinks she is happy, but asks for time to contemplate her answer.

She does not get a chance to. The mission is completed, but with great sacrifices—for she is the only survivor. She returns home with the medic's hitai-ate and medic badge, face stoic and unfeeling as she hands the mission's success to the Raikage.

She asks to become a medic-nin.

People object; she is a powerful Ninjutsu specialist of their village, but the Raikage sees. She wonders if he has an ability to see the inner-most thoughts of people, she wonders if he sees how helpless she was when she tried to use first aid on the medic, depleted of chakra and life slowly dying out. How she cursed herself for not knowing how to heal, for being useless and unable to save the life of someone she loved.

However, he accepts, to everyone else's vehement protests, and she becomes a medic-nin.

Within the first month, she realizes that she, for lack of a better word, sucks.

Her new comrades say it is strange, for she has amazing chakra control considering her reserves and a brain to match. She glares at them, silently (for she has long since discarded her uselessly noisy antics ever since her friend's death). They leave her alone after that, but she can still feel their occasional curious and assessing glances her way.

It is when she is seventeen that she realizes why she cannot master healing Ninjutsu well, and it is through her sudden illness.

She finds that her chakra is… corrupted, for lack of a better word, and her fellow medics cannot figure out why.

She knows. Because even though she hadn't noticed it before, she she can sense it _now_ —the chakra of her previous lives reside within her, steadily growing, mixing and contorting into something not quite vile but certainly not benign.

She dies in a hospital bed at the age of nineteen, because she cannot figure out how to restrain the chakra. It eats away at her physical coils, making it more and more difficult to restrain it.

She passes with the sickening smell of antiseptics lingering in the air.

* * *

The fourth time she "awakens," she is Kotai Setsuna, aged eighteen. And she is bored.

She realizes that she knows Katon and Doton, and she is pleased. Because even though it is somewhat difficult to try to conform to whatever personality she had before regaining her memories, it makes it immensely easier on _her_ to already know two more nature transformations.

She realizes that she is someone with a strange sense of humor, as she finds herself in predicaments where she speaks her opinions of people she sees out-loud, earning some rather hardened glares that she merely snickers at. She has a handful of "friends" that seem to like her humor, and find it amusing whenever she "jokes" about being old—it isn't quite a lie, as she believes a solid forty or so years have passed since she first arrived in this world—though the friendship is rather one-sided, as she prefers to be left alone despite her felicity she displays when they are present.

It is one day in the library when she has snatched a rare moment of solitude for herself that she comes upon an idea of pure genius.

There is a reason why the Sharingan is considered one of the most powerful kekkei genkai in the Shinobi world, she realizes. Nature release kekkei genkai can be copied and replicated, as she recalls from one of the Naruto movies, if the user is intuitive enough. It is obvious that it will not be a perfect copy, but similar enough.

It is through this reasoning that she manages to replicate the Yōton nature release, though she does not reveal this to anyone. She almost very nearly does, however, the day she accidentally melts down a good portion of her village's Academy.

She realizes soon enough that she does not like her current village, Iwa, for the sights are far too drab, simplistic, and borderline depressing for her. She dislikes the oppressive and controlling regime that is so reminiscent to the village's namesake. So at the age of twenty-one, she packs up her bags, her resources, and without saying goodbye to anyone, she leaves to pursue the life of a missing-nin.

One of the first things she does is find a home, in a quaint forested area. She realizes that she is _free_ , that she should have done this _long_ ago. Living life in solitude once scared her, but she realizes that it is much more relaxing to be on her own, to ignore the world and be left to her own devices.

(After all, _freedom_ was what she had always wanted. Earlier on in this world she had been frightened into submission, with the realization that if she wanted to survive she needed to conform to the world—but she has, since then, grown stronger. And with her strength, independence and freedom are attainable goals.)

Eventually her curiosity gets the better of her—after her success with her bastardized Yōton, she had gotten more ideas—and she begins working on figuring out Ōnoki's "floaty jutsu."

She has never felt as successful and accomplished as she had on the day she figures out and replicates Doton: Keijūgan no Jutsu. She develops a small reputation as the "floating healer" to her immense satisfaction, however childish it may seem, and she finds herself to be… Happy.

Even on the day she collapses and finds her legs no longer working because, once again, her corrosive chakra was working against her, she is happy. She is twenty-two when an assassin comes by, noticeably from Iwa, and she is on her sickbed smiling.

For once, she realized that being "alone" is not all that bad. That she did not need recognition from others to be happy, but acceptance from _herself_.

She passed on as a hermit, and with a smile on her face.

* * *

The fifth time she "awakens," she is Uzumaki Jinsei, aged fourteen, noticeably male. And she is contemplative.

She realizes that it is most likely strange and unprecedented that she is constantly reincarnated with her memories, and wonders if there is any meaning or purpose behind the idea of coincidence or simple luck. She had contemplated the phenomena before, of course, but with her most recent life comes an onslaught of reincarnation theories and knowledge on life-spans—after all, she is an Uzumaki, now.

The next thing she realizes is that she is—er _herm_ — _smoking_ _hot_. She stops the thought there, because not only does she not wish to contemplate her likely strange and borderline questionable sexuality, but she does not wish to fall victim to narcissism. There are other, more important things to attend to.

The most important, she notices, is her corrosive chakra.

She thanks every star she knows that her life this time is an Uzumaki because coupled with her new heritage is a foundation for Fūinjutsu—which, if her already rather extensive knowledge on the subject is anything to go by, is the key to solving her chakra problem.

Over the next four years she trains, mastering Fūinjutsu, learning Uzumaki Taijutsu, Fūton, and basic Ninjutsu such as the Kage Bunshin (And how strange it is to learn that the technique originated from the Uzumaki; unbeknownst to him, Naruto had been using a technique that stemmed from his roots). She even touches on Nature chakra, playing, toying with the substance as soon as she finds that she can sense it, but always pulling away before it can truly harm her. With the same concept she had developed with her bastardized Yōton, she works on controlling ice, which is partially successful—though only if there is ice already present, to her disdain.

She succeeds with her Fūinjutsu, and just in time. She can already feel the corroding effects of her own chakra eating away at her coils, and it is to her immense relief that the seal she had created works. All at once, it feels as though she can breathe again, and the looming threat of death—the one that would have claimed her the very next year had this failed—is no longer present.

At the age of eighteen, she hatches a most brilliant yet destructive idea. She realizes that, now, she has control over each of the five main nature transformations. She begins working on a combined technique of the five, and it is with metaphorical stars in her eyes that she plots and plans.

Over the four years she has trained, she has also, unfortunately, created bonds. The Uzumaki clan is a boisterous, energetic yet intelligent peoples, full of appreciation for nature and curiosity for life. Their values are most noble and their pursuits are worked upon with an effervescent passion only matched by their vibrant hair. A family, one that has taken her in, is particularly troublesome—a couple who are both red-heads, no older than thirty, with two young children—the older, a headstrong but noble boy, the younger, and shy, guileless young girl. And she loves them. She realizes that she has become attached to their customs, their bright personalities, and decides she will have none of that.

At the cusp between eighteen and nineteen years, she leaves.

She knows that it is too late, that she has already created these attachments, but it is her saving grace that she knows that, with time, they will fade. The memories will remain fond and bright, but the pain that accompanies them will disappear with the streams of time (even the loss of Shizuka's parents has numbed and faded), and she takes solace in that, delving back into her nature transformation techniques.

She realizes, at the age of twenty-one, that she has made a grave error. She has forgotten about the ultimate fate of the Uzumaki clan, and when she hears of a section of no-man's land inching closer and closer to her beloved home, she hurries back as though a demon is on her heels.

When she arrives, there is devastation—enemy Shinobi ransack the village, burning the once vibrant buildings and ruining the once peaceful atmosphere with their battle cries and claims over the land and people.

Her priority is to the people, to ensure that they are alright, that they are still alive. She runs from corner to corner, house to house, searching for survivors—eventually, she happens upon the dead bodies of the family she had lived with while she still lived in Uzushio, deep crimson painting their bodies and contrasting with the suddenly dull red of their lifeless hair.

She rages.

Her technique, Shizen no Gekido, brings about the most horrifying of natural disasters yet. The winds howl and bluster, the rain seeps through houses and skin like acid, the ground heaves and groans as it shifts, lightning strikes each offending human with pinpoint accuracy, and the resulting fires rage on against the winds and rain like infernos.

The storm of devastation lasts for an unknown amount of time, with her at the center. When she is done, she sits in the middle of the wreckage, meditating.

She has wiped out the enemies. But, she has also wiped out her village, in her over-zealous attempt to save it.

She senses for the Nature chakra she knows to be abundant in her home, and absorbs it; no longer playing, but _welcoming_ the soothing yet dangerous chakra.

She smiles as she feels the chakra turn her form to stone. She, who had harnessed nature and killed through it; it only makes sense to offer herself to the one who had lent her it's power.

She passes with a smile on her face.

* * *

The sixth time she "awakens," she is Hino Kotori, newborn. And she is _beyond confused_.

The first thing she notices is that she is cold and numb; she doesn't feel much besides that. And then, when her memories return to her in full force, she _realizes_ —she has just been born.

She doesn't understand. She hadn't quite questioned her method of reincarnation before, as she figured it was normal—now, however, she realizes that _this_ is perhaps what is supposed to happen with reincarnation when one receives their memories, that they are supposed to have them from the moment they are born. If having one's memories is even considered the norm. (It isn't, she silently answers)

After her revelation, however, she soon realizes that she has a vehement _dislike_ of this method of reincarnation, because her first five months are spent sleeping, eating, and soiling herself.

Something happens, however, and she feels as though time has disappeared with a blink—because suddenly, she is five _years_ old, and not five _months_. And she is in the hospital with a worried nurse looking over her, telling her that she is now an orphan. She finds that she has been in a hypnotic, comatose state, and she _panics,_ especially when the nurse says that the cause of her comatose state is unknown.

Five years have been spent sleeping on her part, and now, she can already feel her corrosive chakra eating away at her. Without thinking, she _demands_ that the nurse bring her a Fūinjutsu set—the woman looks confused, then shocked, asking how she can talk and understand words, and "Kotori" can only roll her eyes at the woman's idiocy (after all, why would the nurse have spoken to her beforehand if she knew the girl's brain hadn't grown past five-months?) before she screams her delicate throat raw at her to go, _now_.

The woman squeaks out a scared "yes" before darting out, and she is left to contemplate her situation. She realizes that she should have questioned this sooner, _far_ sooner, and that this is… Not normal. She has already accepted that this is her new life, that the chances of her lives in the Naruto world being a mere figment of her imagination are beyond slim, and that it is highly likely that she truly _is_ in some convoluted cycle of reincarnation. She realizes that her limbs are severely atrophied, and feels the extreme strain in her throat from the few words spoken. She realizes that, while her mind is matured and ready, her body is in a pitiful state of disrepair.

The nurse comes back with the materials she requested, and, with forced deftness that left the idiot gaping, "Kotori" slaps her chakra seal on herself before sighing in the immense relief the action causes. She then turns to the nurse and raises an eyebrow (though her muscle inaccuracy deems to lift both simultaneously instead against her will), silently questioning what she is still doing here, before the woman allows her mouth to run away with her at "how amazing" and "a genius" and other words that she doesn't care to hear.

Just as the woman begins talking about how she called on another Fūinjutsu genius to come check on her, she turns to the window and her jaw drops. She sees a familiar monument, one that is used in her favorite series as a symbol of power, a symbol of recollection and respect, fashioned in stone. It takes her a moment to realize what it is, and she is in the middle of rejecting the idea when—

"Hello, Kotori-chan! My name is Uzumaki Kushina!"

She faints, but it isn't a comforting solace that she wakes up not an hour later. And the red-headed girl is still there, somehow managing to look both guarded yet cheerful at the same time. "Kotori" finds out that Kushina is a Genin physically six years her senior, making the girl eleven. It is a reluctant friendship on Kotori's part, to say the least, but she is eventually released from the hospital and admitted to the Academy after she regains some semblance of use of her limbs. She is able to breeze past the curriculum in under one year, which is just in time as well because once again she blinks, and more time has passed.

This time she is eight, and Kushina is there crying while hugging her, sobbing out words that sound like, "I managed to stabilize your chakra but I still wasn't sure," (the rest sounding more like blubbering syllables) but there are another two people she isn't sure she wants to see. Behind Kushina stands Namikaze Minato (if his blonde, spiked hair, blue eyes and affiliation with the redhead is any indication), looking substantially awkward, and beside him the Sandaime Hokage.

However, the latter's presence is actually relatively welcome, as Kotori has plans. "Hokage-sama, please place me on a temporary Genin team to enter the Chūnin exams."

All those present seem surprised, but all Kotori can think about it getting out of there so she doesn't have a repeat of her last life, so she doesn't suffer from unwanted bonds again (she spends only a second to inwardly sneer in distaste at her own thoughts). And she knows that she will need to be at least Chūnin to have the appropriate clearance to exit the village under the guise of a mission before running away.

Sadly, she is informed that there are no temporary Genin teams in need of a third member and that she would be waiting for a while for the rotations of Chūnin hopefuls. She nods in understanding.

When she is discharged a week later, as her chakra seems stable, she is immediately and forcefully moved into Kushina's humble apartment, to her disdain. The red-headed girl is always so bubbly, and one day Kotori decides to question her on it.

"… Huh?" Is what Kushina responds with, a strained and confused smile on her face. Kotori sighs, saying that she knows that the girl is forcing herself, that she is acting out and overly bubbly. Kushina blushes a pretty shade of red at this and mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like, "but people like nice people."

Kotori only raises her eyebrow and Kushina goes on to explain that she has a habit of saying mean things that hurt feelings, but she _wanted to change_ and she _wanted_ to be Kotori's friend. And for the first time in a long, _long_ time—Kotori laughs.

Kushina flushes a darker shade of red in humiliation, but Kotori explains to her that there is nothing for her to worry about—to just be herself.

(The redhead's naiveté is comforting to Kotori. She is similar to how Kotori once was in her original life, and though she held no love for her younger, foolish self, she somehow finds Kushina's own brand of innocence endearing. Uplifting.)

After another year or so of knowing the red-head, Kotori finally finds herself formally introduced to Minato, who is just the awkward fifteen-year-old that she expects. Because, even though she is thoroughly against it as the (silently) self-proclaimed guardian for Kushina, the two hormonal teens have decided to live together. Eventually, she reluctantly befriends him as well, when she finds that their interests and intellect are actually rather similar.

When Kotori is ten, the duo decides that they should take it upon themselves to get her some more friends, and they parade her around, introducing her to each person they know. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio of this generation, Shibi, Mikoto, Hiashi and Hizashi, Tsume, Fugaku; without knowing it, she finds herself helplessly involved with all the parents of the major characters in the series. And it bothers her. She finally draws the line at Minato's "amazing" apprentice—who she just _knows_ is Hatake Kakashi—and tells the two excitable teens that she would like to go home.

When she makes it home, she ponders her strange aversion to dealing with the major characters. She realizes that she likely still suffers from the torture she experienced in her first life, when she had felt mischievous enough to try and go against, for lack of a better word in this world, "fate." She is afraid of altering the story, and though her fear is not at a substantial degree, it is still there.

It hadn't been a worry before now, as she had been too far into the past for any known, pivotal characters to present themselves to her. Those she _did_ happen to meet were usually only greeted in passing, or were in a position so far above her own that she could only observe from afar.

It isn't until she is eleven that she is allowed to participate in the Chūnin exams with a temporary team. She is successful, of course, and comes home smiling as she relays the events to an ecstatic Kushina and a proud Minato. As a gift, Minato presents her with a gift she never thought she would ever receive—he says he will teach her his Hiraishin. She is shocked speechless, and before she can recover herself he tacks on the requirements: " _only_ if you come to meet my apprentice."

She acquiesces, though reluctantly, and meets Kakashi. She finds that he is a jerk, and immediately develops a new hobby, pertaining to relentlessly teasing the boy—who she later admits is like a younger brother to her. An annoyingly condescending and prideful one, but a younger brother all the same. Their relationship is nothing like the gushy, loving types portrayed in anime, manga, and the like—it is actually rather volatile (with the barbed insults, attempts at fisticuffs, not-quite-harmless pranks) and it took her a good while to realize that _yes_ , this is how _siblings_ act.

She falls into another coma and wakes up when she is twelve, and she meets Minato's Genin team—Rin is adorable, perhaps a little clingy, and Obito's stubborn determination is both annoying and endearing. Kotori realizes that she was supposed to leave Konoha as soon as she reached Chūnin. She is Chūnin now. But she also realizes that she _likes_ this. She loves Kushina, she loves Minato, she likes his team, the people she has befriended… And she is attached to Konoha.

Before she knows it, Minato and Kushina, for whatever reason, recommend her for a promotion. She isn't sure what to think, and the whole process goes by her in a blur—but it is worth it, when she comes home with her new Jōnin flak jacket to a small gathering, consisting of Minato, Kushina, Kakashi, Rin, and Obito. Minato congratulates her, promising that he will teach her his _most powerful_ ninjutsu technique as a congratulatory gift. Obito looks conflicted, jealous yet in awe, of her promotion, while Rin is politely congratulatory. Kakashi looks much the same as Obito, only more subdued, and he walks up to her with a serious look in his eyes "I'll be promoted to Jōnin at a younger age than you, Kotori."

She scoffs, _knowing_ that in the series he was promoted at 13, and unless she had somehow changed something major, knows that will not change. She ruffles his hair to his disdain as Obito guffaws. "Maybe when you're taller than your Kotori-neesan, otouto."

He is far more disgruntled than he shows, and Kotori knows it. The rest of the night proceeds with happy festivities.

Three more years of relative peace pass on like that, and Kotori's bond with the rest of the Konoha-11 parents grow, as well as her friendships with Minato's team. The looming threat of the Third War causes her constant nightmares, and she is still deliberating between changing the plot or not—on one hand, she could prevent so, so much death if she does, but she is still uncertain.

But, again, she blinks. And suddenly, she finds that she is no longer fifteen and worrying about the _events_ she knows about, but _seventeen_ and _far_ too late. When she wakes up in the hospital for the fourth time, it is to complete silence and loneliness, and for the first time in many years, she dislikes it. She seeks out Kushina and Minato at their home, and they both freeze upon seeing her—Kushina runs up to her and hugs her as though holding a lifeline, and Minato places a quiet hand on her shoulder.

It comes all too quickly, for her, because not three months after that event, she finds herself facing both a happy occasion and the looming threat of losing two of the people she loves most.

"We want you to be our child's Godmother, Kotori-chan."

She blinks, eyes suddenly dry and unseeing, mouth opened slightly. She swallows. "W-what? Child?"

Kushina beams as Minato wraps his arms around her midsection. "Yep! I'm two months along, now, and we'd like you to be our child's Godmother."

"… Ah, I see…" Kotori manages to mumble out, mind reeling. There are a few things she is worried about, but for some reason, at the forefront of her mind is the idea of him possibly _being named Menma_. "You should name him Naruto!" She blurts out, half panicked and embarrassed.

The couple stares at her for a few brief moments as though she has grown another head, and then they laugh. Minato smiles warmly at her. "What a coincidence, that is _exactly_ what we are planning on naming him."

"Kotori-chan has always had great intuition," Kushina says off-handedly, smirking at the girl. "Bet she knows that Jiraiya is his Godfather. She practically knows everything, dattebane. It's almost freaky!"

Not knowing what to respond with, Kotori scratches her arm and turns away to hide her slightly reddened face.

"Anyway, I hope you will be a good older sister for Naruto, Kotori-chan." The red-head grins, eyes sparkling. "He'll need you."

Kotori turns to Kushina with a confused look. "… Wouldn't I be his aunt? And didn't you just say that I'm supposed to be his Godmother…?"

"You're like a sister to Minato and I," Kushina states fondly. "Making you Naruto's aunt. But you're also his older sister because he won't have many other people to look up to, since both of us are orphans."

Minato turns to Kotori with a kind but serious gaze. "Because of this, we want you to always be there for Naruto, to be his role model, as you have been to us. You have always been… Difficult to place, because even though you are six years younger than us, you have shown many times to have wisdom beyond ours, and yet, you can mingle with people of all ages. This, coupled with the fact that we trust you, is the reason why we want you to be there for Naruto—especially if anything were to happen to us."

Kotori is silent, battling against her emotions as she looks between Kushina and Minato.

"… Er, sorry Kotori-chan," Kushina says sheepishly, "we didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable with that declaration 'ttebane. If you don't feel right with being called a Godmother, then you don't have to—"

Both Kushina and Minato startle when tears form in Kotori's eyes and she, uncharacteristically of her, pulls them both into a hug.

"I'll do it, of _course_ I'll protect Naruto. And I'll protect you too, so—so don't say anything about dying and leaving us!"

The young couple, still wide-eyed, exchange a look. And then, with warm smiles, reciprocate the hug, making Kotori feel more _safe_ and _secure_ than she had in years.

* * *

… But then, not even a week after that small proclamation, "Hino Kotori" had been sent on a mission. It had been a relatively simple one, one that she had _chosen_ because of certain things she had to deal with.

( _Obito_ , she had thought furiously, remembering the kind young Uchiha boy, the bright boy with a shining smile that, while he could be a bit of a cheeky arse, was still someone she _cared_ about and _she didn't want to see him turn into a villain_ —)

She couldn't remember what had happened. All she recalled was that she had departed through the grand Konoha gates, saying goodbye to the happy couple, before heading off on her solo mission. And that she had never made it to the Mountains' Graveyard like she had originally planned.

"Hino Kotori," now Mizuno Rinne, felt her knees give out under her as she trembled.

The calm of the void-like emptiness was apparently gone, she realized. Because, as she had known as soon as she saw _that monument_ , Kotori wouldn't give out so easily, wouldn't fade to the background with such simple ease. Because, though her previous lives had been important, and had lived varyingly fulfilling lives as well, they had relative closure. And she had yet to have to face them, again.

But she was in Konoha, again, and the proof of her failure stood out staunchly on the face of the monument.

She regretted it. Kotori was selfish, wanting, grasping at happiness and lost it _herself_. And now, Rinne was suffering for it. She _regretted_ it, regretted ever getting close, regretted ever allowing herself to open up to anyone. She had already felt the pain of losing loved ones and had sworn to never let it happen again, and yet… It did.

Hino Kotori was a fool, she had been too complacent. She knew of Minato and Kushina's ultimate fates, but like the fool she was, she actually… She actually thought she could _change_ it.

Change the script, the _story_ that stopped being one long ago and started being something much more personal, much more _painful_ the moment she found herself in this new world.

She knew she should have just stuck with her original plan to leave Konoha. She should have found a very secluded mountain to become a hermit, like when she was Setsuna, because she wouldn't have felt this pain had she done so.

But now? It was too late.

She couldn't keep herself from loving them, from loving the village. And worst of all, she lost them. She _failed_

Because Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato, two people who went from mere characters of a story to the most important people in her many lives…

They were dead.

Mizuno Rinne lifted her eyes to the sky, a silent farewell to who she likely once was. She had the girl's memories, certainly, but as the pattern usually went, at her "awakening," all irrelevant memories from her body prior to the awakening were shoved to the back of her mind, like memories from a distant, long-forgotten past. Apparently, she had just lost her parents—how _ironic_ —and was supposed to go see the Hokage to discuss living arrangements and her future. The semantics. Other than that, however… She couldn't even remember the faces of her current body's supposed family.

About an hour ago, Mizuno Rinne was just Mizuno Rinne, a normal, seven-year-old girl with dreams of being a Kunoichi, a young girl that had recently lost the two people that represented the world to her.

Now, however, Mizuno Rinne was much more—She was a nameless, orphan boy that had suffered through brutal torture, she was Shimizu Shizuka a Kiri nin, she was Shirai a Kumo-nin, she was Kotai Setsuna who was an Iwa missing-nin, she was Uzumaki Jinsei, and she was Hino Kotori.

On her shoulders she held all of their memories, all of their knowledge, and all of their burdens.

But, _more_ didn't automatically equate to _better_ , now, did it?

Her eyes narrowed at the Hokage Monument. She was someone that had lived _far_ too many lives, if she were to be perfectly honest. Why would she wish to continue this farce? Could she truly be blamed for wanting to live as a hermit in peace?

She felt her burdens ease slightly at her resolution, turning away from the stone and shaking her head—what with how many lives she had seen, how many generations she had watched pass her by, she couldn't bring herself to really _care_ so much, anymore.

(It was always like this.)

It was all just a horridly redundant cycle, and she had long since given up even the idea of panicking or feeling sorry for herself. All she really wanted was peace of mind.

(The door to one life had closed, and there opened a new one.)

"The Hokage can wait," she muttered blankly, changing her direction to the familiar training grounds she had frequented often as Hino Kotori.

Rinse and repeat.

(A never-ending cycle.)

* * *

 **Author's Note: The "Hino Kotori" life was hard to write. Mostly because that was actually supposed to be the story, before I decided to change the setting to the time frame of the show. I could probably post the written story of Hino Kotori, but I doubt you guys would want** _ **more**_ **explanations. Might incorporate the more interesting parts into this somehow. For this fic, I decided to try and go for a mostly apathetic, information-based intro. If you guys felt Rinne's pain, then, well… That's good, I guess, but I'm hoping that later on I'll be able to map out her past and mindset better. No one likes a boring, overwhelming prologues.**

 **That aside, anyone familiar with the Japanese language? Did you notice the absolutely HORRIBLE name puns? I'm writing this for fun—I decided that there was no harm in making some pretty bad name puns. (I have no idea what I'm doing hahaha)**


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